Considerations when reviewing programs (your contributed criteria):

Is this a program that is essential to every University?

Is this a program that is unique - One of few in the state or nation?

Is this a program that is distinctive – that sets UMKC apart?

Is this a program that has achieved national or international recognition?

Is this a program that offers significant instruction, research or service that
UMKC is better equipped to offer than other organizations?

Is this a program that exists because of legislative statute?

Is this a program whose elimination would have a substantial negative impact on education or societal concerns in the state?

Is this a program whose elimination would result in substantial loss of revenue?

Is this a program whose cost is minimal relative to tuition or income generated?

Is this a program that represents significant cost relative to tuition or income generated?

Is this a program that has a substantial impact at the campus, community, or national level. What is the contribution of this program? What dominoes would fall if the program were eliminated? Does it contribute to economic development? Health? Workforce? Other?

Is this a program that has lots of linkages with other programs, majors, schools, colleges, universities? If it were eliminated, would the costs of other programs go on, or might costs end up being assigned to a different area.

Is growth appropriate for this program? If yes, what are the plans for growth? Are they realistic? What are the barriers? Should this be maintained in its small state?


Is this a program that has maintained or improved its quality as measured by the specified criteria on student learning outcome assessments – (some units may not have this now, but all will have them soon)?

Is this a program that is achieving good student retention rates, as measured by specific student populations – gender, SES, race/ethnicity, transfer student population

Is this a program that is achieving good student graduation rates, as measured by specific student populations – gender, SES, race/ethnicity, transfer student population?

Criteria from A&S Chairs Subcommittee
1 ) What is the incremental cost (in faculty, staff, adjuncts, GTAs, space) of retaining the program vs eliminating it? This requires comparing complete alternative scenarios, not just tallying the number of degrees produced.
1a) What is the student/resource ratio? Student/faculty ratio?
2) How many overall majors (BOTH primary and secondary!) and minors does the BA/BS program have?
3) For graduate programs, what fraction of the students provides income to the university
(pays tuition)?
4) Have rumors of upcoming changes (good or bad) in the program temporarily impacted enrollments negatively? (For example, an anticipated MFA could impact an existing MA.)
4a) Generalizing: are there other short-term concerns like #4?
5) Instead of being eliminated, can the program be revised or combined with other programs to meet numerical criteria?
6) What is the current and projected student demand for the program? How have the numbers changed over the last 5/10 years? (What is the program’s trajectory?)
7) Does the program contribute several courses essential for students in other majors? (One or two courses could possibly be absorbed by or taught by other departments.)
7a) Assign a quantitative value to lower-level courses, not just majors, since certain departments teach large numbers of essential ‘feeder’ courses: Physics 210 and 220, for example. (There is no Gen Ed alternative if those courses are required.)
8) Is this a new program that needs a chance to get underway?
9) How essential is the program to the campus mission as defined by the Board of Curators: health sciences, visual and performing arts, urban mission, community engagement, service learning, internships?”
9a) How does the program help UMKC attain its strategic goals and/or mission?
10) Do faculty in the program regularly and significantly contribute to other programs by teaching interdisciplinary courses, cluster courses, and cross-listed courses, or through research collaborations, or iPhD work? Thus are the program’s resources shared with other programs, reducing the resources ‘assigned to’ the program under scrutiny? And, would eliminating the program deprive other programs of shared courses and faculty?

11) Are the resources needed for this program largely provided by other programs so that this program’s majors are produced at minimal additional cost? (American Studies in an example.)
12) Are this program’s courses shared by students in both the MA and PhD programs, so that MA numbers are an added bonus, actually lowering the cost of the PhD program?
12a) Is the MA degree awarded to PhD students en route, at no additional cost?
13) Is this program unique and valuable to the state?
14) Does the program capitalize on resources and opportunities unique to the local area or region?
15) Even if this program is not unique statewide, is it still needed locally, or regionally?
16) Is this program required to meet a community need? (For example, does the program enable local high school teachers to maintain certification? Does it provide trained professionals [e.g., social workers] to the community?)
17) Does the program have significant scholarship and/or endowment support?
18) How would elimination of this program affect affiliated programs in the KC community?
18a) Do professional agreements with area institutions exist? (e.g., The Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art)
19) To what extent does the program contribute to the reputation of the University? Is it recognized regionally or nationally? Has it garnered awards?
20) Do the program’s graduates demonstrate a proven record of success, which thus enhances UMKC’s reputation (i.e. acceptance to graduate or doctoral programs, professional internships, professional positions—locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally)?
21) What impact would termination of this program have on alumni and other donor support for the university?
22) How would termination of this program affect the university’s grant funding?
23) How would termination of this program affect the community’s perception of the university?
24) Does this program attract students to the university (as indicated on inquiry/application documents, for example)?
25) Will elimination of the program affect the recruitment and retention of high quality faculty?

26) Certain departments contribute heavily to the BLA major and get no ‘graduates’ credited to them. We should examine the BLA and assign fractional credit to the various departments that produce the BLA majors.
27) Are there cost-reduction alternatives for the program (e.g., adjust the adjunct: NTT: TT faculty ratio)?
Other Examples
Example Criteria for Guiding Decision Making (adapted from those used by the
University of Maryland)
1.
Program centrality to the campus mission
2.
Quality and national reputation of the program and faculty
3.
Current and projected demand for the program.
4.
Graduation rates
5.
Whether the program duplicates work elsewhere on campus or within the
UM system (or the state)
6.
Strategic opportunities for competitive advantage for the program
7.
Consider: a.
Costs of maintaining the program vs b.
Bringing the programs to an increased level vs c.
Savings resulting from any reductions in the program
Recommended Criteria (Dickeson, 2010):

History, development and expectations of the program

External demands for the program


Internal demands for the program

Quality of program inputs and processes

Quality of program outcomes

Size, scope, and productivity of the program

Revenue and other resources generated

Costs and expenses

Impact, justification, and overall essentiality of the program

Opportunity analysis of the program